Homecoming
by Ilex the Elder
Summary: Tracey's thoughts concerning Gary's return from Johto. Contains Eldershipping and Heroworshipping.


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Author's Note: This was written after reading the episode summary for "To the End of the Full Battle! Each One's Way!!", in which the Johto League Championship comes to an end and Gary makes an important decision concerning his future.

I suppose I should be happy for him. But I'm not.

When Gary turned up on the doorstep of the lab, I assumed that it was going to be another one of his short visits. He'd hang around for a day or two, then go off on another training journey just as he's always done. But I was just as stunned as Professor Oak was when Gary announced that he was giving up training to become a researcher just like his grandfather. He said that he had been so fascinated by all the Pokémon that he had seen on his journeys that he wanted to spend the rest of his life learning all about them. Professor Oak was thrilled, of course. He actually started to cry…I couldn't believe it. 

"Isn't it wonderful, Tracey?" he said, embracing his grandson. "Now I'll finally have someone to follow in my footsteps."

But what about me? I thought that _I_ was going to be the one to carry on your work. That's been my lifelong dream – to work with the great Professor Samuel Oak and eventually become his successor.

Thanks a lot, Gary. Thanks for ruining my dream.

I know Professor Oak won't fire me -- he'll keep both of us on as lab assistants, of course. But I know he's going to spend more time with Gary from now on. I don't blame Professor Oak. Gary's part of his family, part of him; he's his heir. It's natural that he'd want to spend more time instructing the next Professor Oak in the workings of the Pokémon research facility that bears both of their names.

The next Professor Oak…why does that make me feel ill? 

Maybe because I never saw Gary as the research type. He's always been so driven, so consumed by training that I always figured that he was going to focus on becoming a Pokémon Master like Ash. 

"Oh, Ash and I are friends now," Gary told me when I asked him about it. "We buried the hatchet. I've got a lot of respect for him and his training skills. He's gonna be a Pokémon Master someday, no doubt about that."

"But what about you, Gary? I thought that was your dream too."

"It was, for a while. Matter of fact, my rivalry with Ashy-boy was one of the things that kept me going. But during my travels I realized that I was more interested by the Pokémon themselves and all the amazing things they could do -- not just their attack skills. Their ability to evolve, to adapt, just the fact that there are so many more out there waiting to be discovered…Pokémon really are fascinating creatures. But you know that as well as I do, right, Tracey?"

"Oh, yeah," I reply unenthusiastically. I was hoping that maybe this was just a whim of Gary's. Maybe he'd get bored with research after a couple of months, start to miss training, and head back out on the road. But as I watch his face while he discusses Pokémon with his grandfather, I realize that this isn't a whim. He really is enraptured by Pokémon. He really does want to spend the rest of his life studying them, just like his grandfather. 

And why shouldn't he? It's in his blood. Guess I shouldn't blame him for that.

But I do blame him for coming in here and taking away my dream.

All right, I admit it. I'm jealous. For over a year now, it's been no one but me and Professor Oak. For as long as I can remember, he's been my idol. And when he asked me to become his lab assistant, I thought I would die from happiness – my dream of working with the greatest researcher in the Pokémon world had finally come true. Even now I still have to keep pinching myself to see if I'm not dreaming. Every day we work side by side, just the two of us, exploring the mysteries of Pokémon. I've learned so much from this amazing man. And the best part was that I didn't have to share him with anyone. 

Well, that's not entirely true. 

I smile to myself. Wonder what Gary's going to say when he finds out that his grandfather and his arch-rival's mother have been having an affair for years?

Even though I kind of freaked out when I first found out that Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum were lovers (I accidentally walked in on them when they were in bed together), it doesn't bother me as much as it did when I first came here. Even though she may be his partner after hours, I'm still his during the day when we're doing our research. 

I'm not complaining, really. She makes him happy, and she dotes on me like her own son. She likes having someone to take care of since Ash has been away. And I don't mind -- she's a nice lady. She's always bringing up baked treats and meals for us to eat, worries over us when we're sick, fusses over us. It's almost as if we're a family, the three of us. Me, Professor Oak, and Mrs. Ketchum.

Until now. Now Gary's ruined that, too. 

"Oh, Gary!" Mrs. Ketchum exclaims as she comes into the lab, completely ignoring me. "I didn't realize that you were here. Are you going to be staying for a couple of days?"

"No, Mrs. Ketchum," Gary says, shaking his head. "I'm back for good. I've decided that I'm going to become a Pokémon researcher just like Grandpa."

"Isn't it wonderful, Delia?" Professor Oak beams, his face aglow with pride. "I don't think I've been this happy in my entire life."

"Oh, Gary, that's wonderful!" she exclaims, giving the boy a hug. "I'm so happy for you." Tears of joy swimming in her eyes, she looks up at her lover and smiles. "For the both of you."

And as the three of them embrace, I feel my world slipping away. It's clear that Gary's known all along about his grandfather and Mrs. Ketchum, and he's not upset about it. And as I watch them interact, I can clearly see where all this is heading. Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum will eventually marry, and Gary will become the center of their lives. Delia will dote on him as her own son (although technically he'll be her grandson), and I'll be relegated to being just the lab assistant in the background. The only thing I can hope for now is that Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum will someday have a baby of their own, and then Gary will understand what's it's like to be pushed aside.

But even that won't change things. Just by walking back in here, Gary's destroyed everything.

I hate sounding so bitter, but that's what I am.

Damn you, Gary Oak. 

THE END


End file.
